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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. field — a subject
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. bulb — for light
  6. field — for sport
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bulb — for light
  9. club — for golf
  10. perch — the fish
  11. season — of the year
  12. wound — an injury
  13. scale — in music
  14. field — farmland
  15. season — in sport
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. scale — size or range
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com